Providing travellers with greater comfort and flexibility. This is what the Deutsche Bahn (DB) would like to see the launch of electronic billboards occupancy rates of its wagons in real time.
Information on wagon capacity are now transmitted directly to passengers on the platformsThe service is available both in the carriages and via the DB application. The service applies to regional trains.
The new system optimises capacity. Customers can find a seat more quickly. In turn, this is making rail operations more efficient. Car if passengers board the train in a targeted manner...
Providing travellers with greater comfort and flexibility. This is what the Deutsche Bahn (DB) would like to see the launch of electronic display panels occupancy rates of its wagons in real time.
Information on wagon capacity are now transmitted directly to passengers on the platformsThe service is available both in the carriages and via the DB application. The service applies to regional trains.
The new system optimises capacity. Customers can find a seat more quickly. In turn, this is making rail operations more efficient. Car if passengers are selectively placed in low occupancy carriages, trains can depart more punctually. And to enable better use to be made of the capacity of the rail network. The system will be gradually rolled out over the coming months.
Find a seat more easily. Before the train arrives, the display board shows in red, yellow and green how full the various carriages are. (Graphic: DB AG)
Platform occupancy is displayed using a three-level traffic light system or in the form of pictograms of people in different carriages. This makes it easier for customers to see where they can position themselves to find a carriage with free seats.
Hamburg, Stuttgart, then Frankfurt and Berlin as pilot networks
Some networks will be used for testing. The system will be introduced on the pilot lines of the Hamburg S-Bahn and the Stuttgart S-Bahn in February and March.. Next in April, the S-Bahn network in the Rhine-Main region (Frankfurt). Then it will be the turn of Berlin S-Bahn in May. All over Germany, more than 1,500 DB Regio coachesThis represents a quarter of all DB regional trains, will be able to display the occupancy rate of their wagons by the end of 2024.
Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Head of Digitalization and Technology at DB, explains that "with the intelligent workload display, we are making a significant improvement to the daily lives of our passengers. Only if local traffic is comfortable and reliable will we be able to convince even more people to choose the train".
Delays in boarding and disembarking are the main reason for station delays. Thanks to the new system, passengers are better distributed on the platforms. Trains can therefore depart more punctually.
In addition, displaying the occupancy rate via the app helps passengers to choose less crowded trains for their journey. The new system also has advantages for operations. Thanks to the transparency of passenger flows and train occupancy rates, the planning department will be able to better coordinate train movements.
